By-election: Congress, BJP name candidates for Chincholi, Kundgol
Bengaluru, Apr 27: Congress and BJP tonight named their candidates for the May 19 by elections to Chincholi and Kundgol.
Congress has fielded Subhash Rathod from Chincholi and Kusumavathi Shivalli from Kundgol.
Rathod and Shivalli will be pitted against BJP candidates Avinash Jadhav and Chikkanagouda Patil.
Their candidature was announced by Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik in a press note Saturday night.
Subhash Rathod from Banjara community is close to Congress heavyweight Mallikarjun Kharge, whereas Shivalli is the widow of Kundgol Congress MLA C S Shivalli, whose demise about a month ago warranted the bypoll.
Meanwhile, BJP too announced the name of the two candidates from the two constituencies.
The BJP has decided to field Dr Umesh Jadhav's son Avinash Jadhav from Chincholi and Chikkanagouda Patil from Kundgol," BJP spokesperson S Prakash said.
Jadhav is the son of Congress MLA Dr Umesh Jadhav, who resigned from the assembly and joined the BJP to take on Congress heavyweight Mallikarjun Kharge in the Gulbarga Lok Sabha election recently.
His resignation warranted the bypoll in Chincholi.
The Congress decided the candidates at a meeting led by AICC general secretary and Karnataka in charge K C Venugopal, state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao and former chief minister Siddaramaiah at the state Congress headquarters this afternoon.
Congress working president Eshwar Khandre, deputy chief minister Dr G Parameshwara, and many other senior Congress functionaries were present.
The elections will be held on May 19 and the election commission has already issued a notification to the effect.
The counting will take place on May 23 along with the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections.
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Actively engage in farming, Siddaramaiah tells youth, women
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday urged farmers, youth, and women to actively engage in agriculture.
He also called for the restoration of the UPA-era rural employment scheme, MGNREGA under Mahatma Gandhi's name.
Addressing the three-day International Agriculture Fair, Siddaramaiah congratulated all recipients of the Agricultural Scholar awards, calling them role models for other farmers.
He emphasised that agriculture can be highly profitable if farmers move beyond mere crop production and participate in storage, processing, marketing, packaging, and value addition.
Highlighting government support, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka leads the nation in facilitating insurance claims and providing subsidies worth over Rs 1,000 crore.
According to an official statement, he noted that fair procurement prices for crops like sugarcane and maize have been ensured, with the state purchasing millions of metric tons to benefit farmers directly.
Stressing the importance of women and youth, Siddaramaiah said many women have already received awards, and their participation in agriculture and allied sectors should grow even further.
He called on young people to view agriculture not just as a livelihood but as a pathway to entrepreneurship and empowerment.
Siddaramaiah strongly criticized the central government's recent amendment to MGNREGA, which removed Mahatma Gandhi's name and renamed it the "Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Livelihood Mission (Gramin)."
He urged citizens to demand that the original scheme be restored to ensure 100 days of local employment for rural workers.
The chief minister added that India has achieved self-reliance in food production, and Karnataka continues to support farmers through subsidies, quality seeds, fertilizers, and welfare programs including free transport, financial assistance for women, and rice distribution under the Anna Bhagya program.
The CM called upon farmers, especially youth and women, to embrace modern agriculture, strive for excellence, and serve as inspiration for the next generation.
Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy highlighted the government's initiatives to empower farmers and boost agricultural production in Karnataka, calling the fair a platform to introduce new schemes to the public.
Chauvarayaswamy said that while Karnataka produced 70-75 lakh metric tonnes of crops in 1970, current production has dropped to 40-60 per cent of demand, forcing the state to import essential commodities.
The minister emphasised that farmers must be able to earn profitable returns through consistent cultivation, branding, marketing, and access to credit facilities.
